Do you remember?

We found this Collins 12H console in the lobby of WFMS Indianapolis. It was used by WFMS in its earliest years in the 1950s, before stereo. This particular console was probably purchased used by the man who put WFMS on the air. It cost $645 new — about the price of a new car in 1950. In 1936, it was state of the art.

This six-position console provided control of four microphone inputs, transcription and six incoming lines. Originally equipped with a dB meter, a retrofit kit was offered for those wishing to replace the meter with the new VU meter standard that emerged in 1937. You can operate a Collins 12H console, the oldest operating broadcast console in the world, at the Camp Shohola Communications and Technology Center in Greely, PA.

Do you have any antique equipment still in use? Tell us about it at radio@RadioMagOnline.com.

That was then

On Oct. 26, 2007, WFUV Public Radio from Fordham University, Bronx, NY, celebrated it's 60^th anniversary on the air. The station sent us this photo of Pete Fornatale on the air in 1965 when he was a student at Fordham. Fornatale is a widely respected rock historian and veteran disc jockey who helped define progressive rock radio in the early 1970s. He is the author of several books including Radio in the Television Age, and in his career worked for WNEW and K-Rock. His syndicated show, Mixed Bag, now airs on WFUV.

Sample and Hold

In today's world, radio engineers are increasingly being called to wear the hat of IT guru. With that in mind, here is a look at America's techiest cities.

Source: Census Bureau.